Device for forming groups of alpha definite number of articles



June 17, 1930. wivom ,7 ,66

I DEVICE FOR FORMING GROUPS OF A DEFINITE NUMBER OF ARTICLES Filed May 21, 1929 20 liketo the collecting station for the groups 1 iionnn'r twinnem voter, or nnnsnnn;

Patented Jan 17, 1930 v'nnsEtLn"1oreertnrrsrmuesorrritnn rnnnrx- J. c. Mitrnnn &' oo.',- or master, e GERMANY J t I 'i"nnvronroa'roitiuine-eiaours or A'nr r'rnirE nuiunnn or Anirfdnns Application matey-"21, less; seemin ee4,'ss4,;ana in eermany'ivra va's, 1928;

In the mechanical packeting of rodj shaped or like -goods,'in particular, cigarettes, "it is necessary to form the cigarettes orjthe like into agroup of a definite number and-to introduce this group into the packet or box. The cigarettes or the like mustbe fed to a collecting stati'on'andafter the numberineces:

sary to form the group has been collectedythe group must be transferred from the collecting "station to the packetingstation or the like, this transfer being usually efiected by means of plungers or the like. The formation of the groups occupies a certain amount of time as also does the transfer of the group into the packet or box so that there is a definite working rhythm which requires that the number necessary to form a group must be combined with certainty in a working phase. There is however some uncertainty as the means for feeding the cigarettes or the which mustbe avoided'at all costs.

As the formation of gaps in the feeding means cannot be avoided or can only be avoided withdifiiculty the present invention consists in delivering to the collecting station in a working phase a number of articles in excess of the number to form the group, a counter or the like interposed in the feed trackbeingadapted to be actuated by the arriving articles and after counting off the number to form a group so operating a valve or the like that any further articles fed tovided with a number ef teeth in excess of the .59

wards the conclusion of the working stroke are led oif from the feed track.

Preferably the articles (cigarettes) are fed separately in pockets or recesses in a continuously moving endless band to a bridge disposed in front of a collecting channel over which they are pushed by a feedingv means, forexample a rotating cross or thelike, to the collecting channel, the cigarettes lying in the pockets entering the interdentalspaces in a toothed counting wheelwhich is pronumber of the group and which after a rota Guaranty, nssrenon T0;ma1fea:-

tion corresponding to the number o f a i operates an electromagnet in such nann'er that thebridge controlled by this electrq.

magnet is released tothe action jof a spring or the like which so moves the bridge that the succeeding articles are led out of the feed track to the collecting channelfwhile after the conclusion of the complete: rotation of the counting wheel the original condition is restored;

v The new apparatus {is illustrated the c o p y g dr ng i F g 1 n ide 1 1evation and in Fig; 2 in vertical cross'secti'on h l m? Of g- Y J, Referring to the-drawing, the separfate cigarettes Z are fed by suitablemeanstnot shown in the drawing) separately into pockets or recesses 1 on an endless band 2 or an endless chain which moves continuously ithun for sp e o the Pu l y $.i 1t11 direction of the arrow, The parallelly di sposed pockets lare arranged at regular dis tanc es. apart on theband 2., Thee ci'gare tte's are. delivered to the pockets on the upper flight of the endless band and fed to agbridge' the r .l di Wh Ch. eng g s in k own manner by means of pr eCt ng tines thecigarettesfrestingiin the pockets 1. The cigae tesipass ne n this nn th d are pushed, by the blades 5 o'f a blade wheel 6 rotating in the direction of thee arrow over the bridge; to the collecting channel 7 which is provided withjan abutment orstop 8 and? in which can be collected a groupof cigarettes of pres-determined number (a groupof nine in the embodiment shown). 7 The, bridge 4 is pivotally mountedat 9, the downwardly extending projection 10 constitutingethe armature: of an electromagnet 11., The electromagnet excited by electric current holds the bridge 4 in the position shown" in full lines in Fig. l'against the action ofa spring 12 connectedatone end ,to-the armature 10 and at its otheren'dtoja pin 1 3, F p e V The contact for the circuit of thejelectro magnet is formed by two StaiilODQ IYQlSSS 14 and 15 to whichthe conductors l6 and 1471 are connected. Between the-discsextendia contact carrier 18 the axially disposed pin 19 of which contactswith the two contact'discs the pin being insulated. The contact carriers are mounted on the hub 19 of a toothed wheel 20 which hub extends through a central aperture in the disc 1% and is mounted to rotate freely on spindle 21.

As is clear from Fig. 1, the teeth 22 enter the spaces between two adjacent cigarettes in the pockets 1 at the point where the cigarettes 2 extend with their ends beyond the pockets '1' (see Fig. 2). The cigarettes thus turn the freely rotatable pinion 20 on the spindle 21 The number of teeth of this pinion is such that after a complete revolution of the pinion more cigarettes are supplied than are required to form the group in the channel 7. In the embodiment illustrated, the'group consists of nine cigarettes while the, pinion has ten interdental spaces. Adjacent the last or excess space the contact disc 15 is provided with a recess 28 so that the contact pin 19 cannot close the circuit when it moves into the space 23. The circuit is accordingly interrupted so that the electromagnet 11 releases its armature 10 and the bridge 4 under the action of the spring 12 swings on its pivot, i. e. moves into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. \Vith the bridge in this position the cigarettes now arriving cannot pass to the bridge (which naturally is provided with slits for the passage of the blades 5) so that the supply to the channel 7 is interrupted.

1 It should be observed that within one working phase the feed band 2 is moved forward through a definite amount in such manner that more cigarettes are supplied than are necessary to form a group. Moreover the cigarettes supplied are counted by the counting wheel 20 and the further supply to the channel stopped immediately when the number of cigarettes necessary to form the group has "been fed. The excess supplied by the band 2 ensures that this number is always maintained so that it does not matter should one of the pockets not contain a cigarette since the counting wheel 20 is arranged to provide an excess and is only rotated when actually a cigarette disposed in a pocket imparts a movement thereto. Naturally the excess can be increased if desired so that instead of supplying ten cigarettes in one working phase as in the embodiment illustrated, twelve or fourteen cigarettes can be supplied. In general, however, the safety factor referred to is sutficient as it seldom happens that the pockets are not fed with cigarettes.

I claim:

1. A device for forming groups of a definite number of articles with uninterrupted supply of the articles along a feed track, comprising a collecting station, means for feeding a number of articles exceeding the number required to form the group to the collecting station, a counting mechanism disposed in front of the collecting station and front of the collecting station, feed means for feeding the articles over the bridge a counting wheel disposed in front of said feed means said wheel having teeth exceeding in number the number of articles to form a group, the teeth being adapted to receive the articles from the pockets of the endless band and an electric circuit controlled by said counting wheel in such manner as to cause the bridge member to rock to lead excess ar-- ticles from the feed track.

' In testimony whereof I atfix my signature.

ROBERT lVILHELM VOIGT.

, for the articles, a bridge member disposed in 

